A
family of wild ruffians teach the other church kids a thing or two
about the true meaning of Christmas. This is a delightful, funny and
altogether charming story perfect for the holidays. A fun read to share
with young and old each year at this time.

Everyone thinks that Cleopatra killed herself with a poisonous snake, an asp, but actually, she used a hairpin dipped in poison. And did you know that Beethoven died of lead poisoning? They pumped gray liquid out of his belly for a few days before he died. Which could explain his bad temperament and clumsiness, because he had 1,000 times ver a survive-able level of lead found in his body years after his death. If you have ever wanted all the gruesome, gritty details of the deaths of famous people in history, Georgia Bragg has served them up in this delightful and nauseating collection.

Beautifully
imagined and written, Breadcrumbs calls on a rich fairytale heritage to
examine the depths of friendship. Hazel and Jack have been best friends
through all of their lives and now life is changing them. When Jack
suddenly disappears into the woods, Hazel overcomes magical dangers to
rescue him. Loss might come to their friendship but Hazel makes sure it
is the loss brought by time, not by evil. There’s much to admire and
think about in this lovely book.Jane J

Mouse and Mole, characterized perfectly in gentle and spare watercolors, are back in their fifth book together – this time to celebrate Halloween! First, they must carve pumpkins and enter them in a competition. Then there’s preparing their costumes. And then the trick-or-treating. All the while, Mole is trying hard not to be scared of many spooky happenings surrounding Halloween. These early reader chapter books are a great combination of humor and sweetness.

Bear has lost his hat. He asks many of the animals he meets in the forest if they’ve seen it. No one claims to have seen Bear’s hat. Except maybe Bear did see it? In this hilarious debut picture book by Jon Klassen, patterned, retro-looking illustrations use white space nicely, but also add to the humor of the text. Can you find Bear’s red hat, possibly before he does?

Long
before Elmer the Patchwork Elephant, David McKee created Mr Benn, an
ordinary man who has extraordinary adventures. Here is the first Mr
Benn book reprinted for the enjoyment of a new generation of children in
which Mr Benn swaps his bowler hat for a red suit of armor and makes
friends with a dragon. McKee's artwork is a joy and the Mr Benn
stories full of magical possibilities. (Also available, Big- Top Benn)

Young Jack and his friends go off to their tent/castle to defend the crown from dragons nd
beasts. Slowly his “knights” are called home and Jack must face the
dark and a scary creature alone. This is a wonderful, gentle, adventure
for young children, beautifully illustrated by Helen Oxenbury.

We
all have heard of Noah and his ark, but what about Naamah, his wife?
Bartoletti lyrically imagines Naamah’s role on the ark, soothing every
person and animal into sleep and comfort. The repetition of “at night”
on each page, and the chorus of “Naamah sings all through the night”
lulls as one imagines an unexplored biblical figure. The collaged
illustrations are both intense with the flooding world, and sleepy
sweet. A beautiful and intriguing new lullaby to share.

Unfold
each page of this vibrant book to find a large illustrations of all
your favorite farm animals: chickens, goats, donkeys and more! Concise,
bolded text provides clues to the animal as you unfold, revealing what
animal has hooves or says "moo", and asks the reader to guess as they
unfold the large illustration. There may be a million animal books out
there, but Taback's latest is definitely worth adding to the collection.